Switch-box or outlet-box.



D. H. HAYDEN.

SWITCH BOX 0R OUTLET BOX.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 12, 1917.

1 ,326,4:98. Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

UNITED PATENT oFFIoE.

D ON H. HAYDEN, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SWiTCH-BOX on OUTLET-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- mine-anon filed January 12, 1917. Serial No. 141,920.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I Dox H. HAY1 EN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio,- have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Switch-Boxes or Outlet-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the so-called switch boxes or outlet boxes of the type composed of one or more units designed to be inserted in the wall of a building to receive a wall switch, and provided with openings or knock-out plugs through which the conductors may be extended. I

The principal object of the invention is to decrease the cost of producingand assembling these switch boxes, and at the same time to provide a construction which is strong. durable and efiicient.

More specifically considered. the invention aims to provide a construction such that there is eliminated entirely the necessity for screws to. fasten together the parts of a single or multiple unit box; and to lock and fasten the parts together in such a manner that the latter can be quickly assembled or disassembled.

Another of the more specificobjects is to so dispose locking tongues'lugs or tabs and corresponding receiving openings, or slots,

that there is a-minimum waste of material in forming the parts of the box by stampmg them out of sheet metal.

The invention may be briefly summarized as consisting incer-tain novel details of con- StI'lIC't-lOH and combinations and arrangements of parts which w1ll be described in the specificationand' setforth in the appended claims. j

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein I have shown the? preferred construction and also a slightly modified construction, Figure l is a perspective view of what I term adouble unit box. one of the end pieces of the box being removed: Fig. 2 is a similar view of a complete single unit box: Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. l is a transverse sectional View of the lower partof the box, thesection being taken substantially along the line -ll of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower part of a box showing a slight modication in the form of the lowerv or bottom fastening means; and Fig. 61s a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, showing the construction of Fig. 5. I

The box embodying my invention is of a shape well known to those familiar with this Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

art, and is provided preferably with knock out plugs, the purpose of which is well understood. This box is composed of one or more substantially U-shaped pieces 410, which form the sides and bottom or body of the box, and of two end pieces 11. In a single unit box as shown in Fig. 2,;the box is formed of one U-shaped piece 10 and the f two end pieces, and with a multiple unit box such as illustrated in Fig. l, the box is composed of two or more of the 'U -shaped pieces 10. fastened together in the manner illustrated, togetheiv with the two end p eces which are fitted or fastened 12011116 pieces 10 in the same manner that the latter are fastened together. v

The present invention resides solely in the novel means for fastening the parts together and in the arrangement. or disposition of the fastening parts as will now be explained.

It will be observed that each pair of units or parts 10, and ,that each end piece is fastened to the adjacent part 10 'at the upper corners and at the bottom of-these pieces, that is to say. the parts are fastened together along the upper edges and along the bottom of the box. The upoer fastening means between each adjacent pair of pieces 10, 10 or 10, 11, includes two locking tongues 12, at opposite corners'of the piece 10 or 11 as the case may be. and two notches or slots 13 at the corners of the opposite companion piece and arranged to receive the ends of the tongues as clearly illustrated in the drawings, the tongues extending in an endwise direction laterally from the piece or wall on which the tongues are formed and then being bent laterally. theends of the tongues extending just through the slots and being substantially flush with, the outer sides of the box. Additionally each pair of adjacent parts of the "-box. whether the parts be two adjoining pieces 10, or an end piece 11 and adjacent piece 10. are fastened together at the bottom of the box by a tongue or tab 14 which is offset to ext-end either under the bottom portion of the adtion 15 either inclines upwardly from the face of the tongue 14 as in Figs. 1 to 4, or downwardly from the face of the tongue as in Figs. 5 and 6, and each lug 15 is provided at the end of the inclined face with a sharp shoulder or inner face designed to engage and hold the companion plece 1n positlon when the latter has been moved inwardly over the inclined surface of the lug past the shoulder. As will appear more fully subsequently, the locking lug 15' on one piece 10 engages the lower outer face of one of the end pieces 11, in which event the corresponding tongue may pass between a pair of centering lugs 16 of the end iece shown in Fig. 2, and the remaining pieces of the box are held together by the lug on one piece snapping into an opening 17 in the bottom of the ad oining piece.

One important feature of this box is that the locking tongues 12 and 14 are all formedon the same edge, or project in one direction from the piece, whereas the opposite edge is plain in the sense that it has no projecting tongues, but only the slots or openings formed to receive thetongues on the companion or adjacent piece. I As will now be apparent, this arrangement results in less waste of material than would be the case if both edges .or ends of the piece were provided' with outwardly extending locking tongues or projections.

To explain more in detail the exact disposition of the locking parts, it may be stated that one end piece 11 has at its upper corners two of the upper locking tongues 12,

and is provided at the bottom with one of i the locking tongues or tabs 14, all these tongues projecting in the same general direction from the plane of the. piece 11. The part 10 which is adjacent the end piece 11 is provided at two of its upper corners with piece 11 of Fig. 2.' The same end of the part 10 is provided in addition to the two tongues 12 with the bottom tongue 14 which extends under'the second piece 10 of Fig. 1, so that the upstanding lug 15 will project up lnto the opening 17 of the adjoining or second piece 10 of Fig. 1, or under the bottom edge of the end piece 11 of Fig. 2 so that the lug 15 will extend upwardly from the bottom edge and hold the same in post tlon. In the event there are two of these p eces 10, they will be formed precisely allke and will be fastened together in the manner described. The second end piece 11 is provided with no projections or tongues but simply with the two upper corner slots to receive the upper-corner tongues 12, and at the bottom it will be formed with the centering lugs 16 between which the tongue 14 of the adjoining piece 10 extends. It will be understood, of course, that there may be more than two of the middle pieces 10 if desired fastened together precisely in the manner described.

To assemble the parts the upper corner portions are first fastened together by simply placing the two tongues 12 of one piece into the slots 13 of the adjoining part, then the bottom portions of the pieces are forced together causing one member to ride up onto the inclined lug 15 of the tongue 14 of the adjoining member until the lug 15 either ,snaps up into the opening 17 or beyond the outer face of said adjoining member. The parts will now be securely. locked or held to ether no screws bein re uired at all to fasten them together.- To take the box apart or to separate any two parts it is only necessary to pry downward slightly the tongue 14 until the companion part can be moved over the lug 15, whereupon the parts will fall apart. In so separating the parts the tongue 14 is not permanently bent but springs back into place so that the parts can 'be again put together or assembled precisely as before they were taken apart or "separated.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the details of the 'bottom fastening means are somewhat modified. In this case the tongue designated 14 does not pass under the adjoining part as in the preferred construction, but over a portion of the adjoining part, and it is provided with a downwardly depressed locking lug, here desig .nated 15% which either enters into an opening corresponding to the opening 17 of the first described construction, or engages the outer face of an end piece. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the tongue 14*- on one end piece 11 lies over, or extends into the part 10, and the depressed tongue 15 extends down into the opening 17. At the opposite end of the box the part 10 has an upwardly offset tongue 14 which passes through a slot 18 in the second end piece 11, the tongue having a depressed locking lug 15 over which the end piece 11 is slid so that the lug can snap downward and engage its outer face. The two adjoining pieces 10 of a multiple unit box may be fastened together at the bottom, precisely as illustrated at the right-hand corner of Fig. 6. .This construction is similar in principle to that first described, but the former construction is preferable.

In both constructions, however, the locking project-ions on any piece are all on one edge, or project in one direction from the cause it' requires somewhat less material, and 7 less time is required to assemble the parts. This saving is a matter of great consequence to mamifacturers in view of the fact that the boxes are made in huge quantities.

The box will be provided with any suitable means such as illustrated at 19, for fastening the box to a wall, and any suitable means such as tongues '20, by which the switch may be secured in the box. As these parts are not directly involved in my invention they may be modified as desired, and further description or illustration of the same will be unnecessary.-

I do not desire to be confined to the exact details'shown, but aim in my. claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from-the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a switch box or outlet box, one or more middle pieces forming the body of the boxand two end pieces fastened thereto, the fastening means between two adjacent parts including a tongue on one part which overlaps the other part, said tongue being provided with an integral offset locking lug which interlocks with said other part, said lug having aface inclined from the face of the tongue and terminating in an abrupt shoulder which said other part engages.

2. In a switch box or outlet box, one or more substantially U-shaped middle pieces forming the body of the box and two end pieces fastened thereto, each middle piece having adjacent one edge thereof three open ings, two of said openings being adjacent the corners in substantially the planes of the sides thereof and he third opening being in the bottom or ase of the piece, and said middle piece having adjacent the other edge three locking tongues, two of said tongues being adjacent the corners and a third at the bottom of the piece, oneend piece having a set of tongues which interlock with the stated openings of -a middle piece, and the other end piece having portions which interlock with the stated tongues of a middle piece.

3. In a switch box or outlet box, one or more substantially U-shapediniddle pieces forming the body of the box and two end pieces fastened thereto, each middle piece having along one edge three openings, two being in the form of open slots adjacent the corners and in substantially the'planes of the sides of the piece and a 'third opening being in the base or bottom of said piece, and said middle piece having adjacent itsopposite edge three tongues, two located at the. corners of the piece and a third at the bottom or base of the piece, one end piece having tongues which interlock with the stated openings of a middle piece. and the other having portions which interlock with the stated'tongues of a middle piece. I

, 4. In a switch box or outlet box, on or more substantially U-shaped middle pieces forming the body of the box and two end pieces fastened thereto, eachmiddle piece having along one edge three openings, two. being in the form of open slots adjacent the corners and in substantially the planes of the sides of the piece, and a third opening being in the base or bottom of said piece, and said middle piece having adjacent its opposite edge three tongues, two located at the corners of the piece and a third at the bottom or base of the piece, each tongue at the base of the box having an integral offset locking lug, on end piece having tongues which interlock with the stated openings of a middle piece, and the other having portions'which interlock with the stated tongues of a middle piece.

5. In a switch box or outlet box, one or more. substantially U-shaped middle pieces forming the body of the box and two end pieces fastened thereto, each middle piece having along one edge three openings, two being in the form of open slots adjacent the corners ofthe piece and a third opening being in the base or bottom of said piece, and said middle piece having adjacent its opposite edge thre tongues, two located at the corners of the piece and a third at the bottom or base of the piece, the part of the box adjacent the first named edge of the middle piece. having tongues with portions extending into the slots and opening of the middle piece, and th piece adjoining or adjacent the second named edge of said middle piege having portions which receive and interlockwith the tongues of said middle piece, each tongue at the bottom of the box having an offset locking lug with a tapered face and an abrupt locking shoulder.

G. In a switch box, a substantially shaped body composed of one or more pieces or units, said body being provided along one end edge with two open slots arranged adjacent the corners and in substantially the planes of the sides, and at the base with an opening, said body having adjacent the other end edge two locking tongues with ends projecting laterally outward, and having at the bottom a locking tongue with an integral offset lug, and two end pieces, one projecting tongues and at the bottom havhaving tongues which project laterally outing a portion which interlocks with said ward and extend into said slots and a tongue lug on the third tongue arranged adjacent 10 I provided with an integral lug which enters the other end edge of the .body. 5 said opening adjacent one end edge of the In testimony whereof Ihereunto aflix my body, and the other end piece having two signature. or slots which receive the laterally outward DON H. HAYDEN. 

